I agree with what you've said here, although I did not see it in Lunatic Fringe's post...but perhaps I've misunderstood.
An American should be able to walk through any city around the globe and simply hoist their American passport over their head for perfectly safe passage through the turmoil around them.
In a perfect world...however this isn't it.
Terrorists need to be put on the defensive. They should understand that so much as kidnapping an American citizen (nevermind torturing, starving, and beheading) will result in immediate, overwhelming, and catastrophic retribution about which their grandchildren will hear frightening stories.
Those days appear to be long gone. There was a time when nations would be ruthless in response. Now, with instant TV viewing and bleeding hearts around the world such actions are not very likely (with things such as international criminal courts and reelection campaigns).
highlander_UW
That was a fine and well-considered response you sent me. It is very likely we are very close in our assessments of the current terrorist situation.
I see what you're saying about a "perfect world" above and perhaps I'm just longing for the good old days. Our collective memories as Americans is painfully short. We get brutally attacked in 2001 with thousands of innocents sent to their graves and a few short years later we're wringing our hands over panties on heads and barking dogs at Abu Ghraib and inconsistent air-conditioning for violent terrorists in Guantanamo Bay holding cells.
Lunatic Fringe
My posts above were initiated in your defense because I felt that perhaps your nuance and wording was being misunderstood. When you make references to "King George" rather than the proper and respectful "President Bush" you begin to immediately lose my attention on this thread.
~ Blue Jays ~